Enviropros Bulletin

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT & POLLUTION PREVENTION BULLETIN
INTRODUCTION
International markets are becoming increasingly competitive.
Current economical, marketing and environ-mental requirements dictate that any production process implemented by your company be more cost effective, produce higher quality products faster, which are more environmentally friendly than your competitors. Though these factors, including occupational health and safety, are often (and sometimes inseparably) associated by the management strategy and the production process, the purpose of this bulletin is primarily to focus on the environmental aspects of production and the associated principles.Increasing pressure for more environmentally friendly production is not only exercised by the consumer, but also by the legislator. In future, producers will have to comply to increasingly stringent environmental legislation, not only for marketing purposes, but also to ensure the sustainable development of the industry.Emphasis Adjustment

Legislators, industry and the public prefer process driven pollution prevention methods rather than the conventional / traditional end-of-stream treatment for reducing environmental impact of a process, methods. This approach forms the foundation of the new White Paper on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management for South Africa, released by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. This approach can also be of potential economic value by reducing the cost of environmental management and effluent treatment.

WHY A BULLETIN
The idea of a bulletin originated owing to questions and uncertainties regarding environmental management, expressed by members of the industry during the first phase of the Winetech Environmental Management Program.
The interactive exchange of information between the facilitators and the implementers is extremely important, especially when new concepts, systems or techniques are implemented within an industry. The purpose of the bulletin is to introduce some of these systems, concepts and techniques in a way that allows active participation by the industry. This format creates the opportunity to involve/reach a significant amount and a wide variety of people on all levels in the wine industry, on a semi informal basis. The bulletin also provides an opportunity for industry to give answers to relevant questions.

The primary purpose of the bulletin is thus to serve as an aid in the development and promotion of the Winetech environmental management program, which has been designed to target wineries, distilleries as well as related “facilities”. The bulletin should however also be of use to all people involved in environmental management, production or general management.

Secondary aims include:

The improvement of general awareness and understanding of environmental management principles.

The introduction to important concepts of environmental management.

The establishment of an informal forum and channel of communication and discussion with the industry.

The development of new ideas.

Compilation of information necessary to develop and support an Environmental Management System (EMS).

WHO CAN BENEFIT

The idea of the bulletin is that it should not only reach people within a management position, but that it should also reach all the people involved in the production of wine, spirit and related products.

WHO ARE WE

Enviropros is a consortium of professional institutions, co-ordinated by the Centre for Process Engineering at the University of Stellenbosch. The other members of the consortium deliver a specialist contribution namely:

Centre for Process Engineering
Research and development.

Nietvoorbij Centre for Wine and Vine
Development of environmental management systems, the integrated production of wine (IPW) and environmental legislation.

Institute for Agricultural Engineering
Cellar technology and planning of new developments.

EnviroServices
Implementation of environmental management systems as well as filtration systems.